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On Tue 08 Oct, Obrand wrote: > Hi, I mostly just read and get information from the list serve, but my > father has some questions regarding "Amantadine." I hope I'm spelling it > correctly. He is presently on Artane and not getting much relief from > it. He's only real symptom as so far is a tremor in his left hand and > nothing seems to help him. So now he would like to know about > "Amantadine", like the side effects, dosage, effectiveness, etc. Also he > would like to know about Symmetrel - this could be wrong spelling as well > - is this they same as "Amantadine" or something else? Or is there some > other medication that could help his tremor? > > Thanks so much! > Jo-Ann Obrand, father 63/3 yrs > > [log in to unmask] > Hello Jo-Ann I am staggered that in this day and age people are still being fed some of the old and outmoded drugs! When I was first diagnosed (17 years ago) I was given Artane. It was never very effective then, and these days is hardly ever prescribed. Artane comes from a group of drugs known as 'anti-cholinergic', and can cause confusion in elderly patients. I am guessing that your father's drugs are determined by your doctor, and not by a neurologist, because Amantadine the 'new' drug that you mention is about as old, useless, and out of date as the Artane. Symmetrel is just a trade name for Amantadine. It can also cause confusion in the elderly. I have written the next bit so many times recently that I am saving it in a special file for quick access: I believe that your father should now be takimg levodopa. It is far more effective than any of the other drugs mentioned, and has few, if any, side effects. Of course, there is a limit to how long you can continue to derive benefit even from levodopa, but that is because the continued degeneration which is Parkinson's Disease eventually prevents the levodopa from operating effectively. However, the good news is that I have been using levodopa for the past 16 years, and I am still managing quite well, so go for it! I promise you that for the first few years at least your father will be transformed, and (and this is the most important bit) with no predjudice to the long-term outlook. Regards, Brian Collins -- Brian Collins <[log in to unmask]